17-year-old Texas teen sentenced to life for fatally attacking his mother with hammer
11/10/2022 1:18 pm PST
McKINNEY, Texas (TCD) -- A 17-year-old male was recently sentenced to life in prison for fatally attacking his mother with a hammer in 2021.
According to a news release from the Collin County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, on Jan. 3, 2021, Adam Barney’s father called 911 and said his son had killed his wife. Officers reportedly responded to the Barney family home, where the father showed them security footage showing Barney attacking his mother.
In the video, the District Attorney’s Office said Barney is seen striking his mother 11 times in the head with a hammer. Then, he reportedly strangled her until she was unresponsive. Barney’s father came out of his bedroom, and when he saw what had happened, Barney attacked his father with a screwdriver and fled the scene, the District Attorney’s Office said.
Officers eventually found Barney walking down a street the next morning.
During the trial, the District Attorney’s Office said evidence was presented, detailing Barney’s "long history of violence, manipulation, and unprovoked aggression towards others."
Additionally, Barney’s mother reportedly wrote a journal entry, expressing that her son said he wanted to kill his family "from as young as 7 years old."
On Nov. 10, the District Attorney’s Office announced that Barney pleaded guilty, and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.
After the sentencing, Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said, "The victim in this case was brutally murdered by her own son, who she spent his entire life trying to help overcome his dark characteristics."
Willis continued, "But in the end, the evil in Adam Barney could not be helped. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Barney family as they continue to grieve the loss of their beautiful wife and mother."
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